Researchers in southern Alberta are trying to get the upper hand in the battle against a stubborn disease that wipes out up to 10 per cent of Canada's wheat crop annually and costs farmers millions of dollars.

It's called tan spot disease, a fungal infection named for the small tan-coloured lesions it creates on the green leaves of wheat plants. While it may not threaten to wipe out entire fields like others might, its persistence makes it a regular headache for growers.

Dr. Reem Aboukhaddour, ch…